Chapter 11: Chapter 11

“Why won’t you just pick up the damn phone, Lena?”

Adrian’s voice was hoarse, raw with a night that had given him no sleep and no mercy. He lay on his back, one arm flung over his eyes, the other clutching his phone like it might finally vibrate out of pity. It didn’t. The screen stayed stubbornly dark, the silence in the room loud enough to mock him.

He dropped his arm and stared at the ceiling, jaw tight. After he’d left Bella’s place, he’d called Lena. Once. Twice. Then again. And again. Every ring had gone unanswered. Every voicemail prompt had felt like another door slamming in his face.

He unlocked his phone and scrolled. The call log was a humiliating list of his own persistence—her name stacked over and over, none of it returned.

“Unbelievable,” he muttered, sitting up. His head throbbed like it was keeping time with his irritation. “You can’t just ignore me forever.”

He told himself she might be busy. Or asleep. Or in a meeting that ran late. But deep down, he knew better. Lena wasn’t avoiding her phone. She was avoiding him.

The thought made his chest tighten.

With a groan, he dragged himself out of bed and into the shower, letting the hot water beat against his shoulders as if it could knock some sense into him. It didn’t. By the time he was dressed and tying his tie, his plan was already set: get through the morning meetings as fast as possible and go straight to Stellar Furnishings. He needed to see her. In person. Where she couldn’t ignore him.

At the office, his assistant, Dave, was waiting for him with a tablet and the same patient-but-exhausted look.

“Good morning, Mr Ravel,” Dave said. “You have two meetings back-to-back. Investors first, then marketing. I moved lunch to—”

“Fine,” Adrian cut in, already walking past him. “Let’s get them over with.”

Dave blinked. “Over with?”

“You heard me.”

The first meeting was a blur. Adrian sat at the head of the table, nodded at the right moments, and said the right things when someone directly addressed him. Mostly, though, he kept checking his phone under the table to see if Lena had called or texted back, his thumb hovering like maybe this time would be different.

It wasn’t. The result was still the same.

By the time the second meeting ended, his patience was in shreds. He walked back into his office, shrugged out of his jacket, and tossed it onto a chair.

“Finally, a moment alone.” He sighed loudly and plumped into his seat feeling exhausted.

The door suddenly opened made him snap his head up, already irritated and ready to yell—then froze.

“Surprise,” Bella said brightly, stepping in with a lunch box in her hands. “I thought I’d bring you something to eat. You’ve been working too hard lately.”

“Bella?” He stood up, clearly caught off guard. “What are you doing here? You didn’t tell me you were coming over.”

She smiled, like this was the most natural thing in the world. “Taking care of you, baby. I know you never eat properly when you’re busy.”

“That’s… thoughtful,” he said, and meant it in the politest way possible. His heart wasn’t in it. His mind was somewhere else entirely.

She set the lunch box on his desk and opened it. “I made your favorite.”

He sat down slowly. When he took the first bite, he realized he wasn’t hungry at all. The food tasted like nothing. Still, he forced himself to chew and swallow so she wouldn't feel bad.

Bella watched him closely, then said, “Adrian… we’ve been together for a long time now.”

He paused. “Yeah. We have.”

“Don’t you think,” she said carefully, “that maybe it’s time to take the next step?”

He nearly choked on the food.

“The next step? What next step?” he repeated, coughing.

“Marriage Adrian. That’s the next step for us,” she said softly.

He stared at her. “That’s… that’s a big conversation.”

“We’re not getting any younger,” she said. “And we’re good together. Aren’t we?”

He looked away. “We are. But I’ve got a lot on my plate right now. Work is crazy. I don’t want to rush into anything.”

She hid her disappointment behind a small smile. “Just… think about it, okay?”

“Yeah,” he said, a little too quickly just to end the conversation. “I will.”

She leaned in, kissed him lightly, and stood. “I’ll see you later. Enjoy your meal”

When she left, Adrian leaned back in his chair and exhaled slowly. His life, he realized, was getting more complicated by the hour.

Across town, Lena sat in the boardroom at Stellar Furnishings, hands folded neatly on the table as her team discussed new designs and marketing numbers.

Outwardly, she was calm. Focused. The CEO they all knew.

Inside, her thoughts kept drifting—unwelcome and persistent—to a man who refused to leave her head.

Nora was speaking. “The feedback on the new line has been great, and our online engagement is up again this month.”

“Good,” Lena said. “Keep pushing. We’re doing something right.”

After the meeting, she returned to her office with Nora, who was practically bouncing.

“There’s international interest,” Nora said. “Real interest. Expansion, maybe.”

“That’s great,” Lena replied, though she sounded tired even to herself.

She sat down behind her desk. “Who’s my next client?”

“He’s already here,” Nora said. “Should I send him in?”

Lena nodded. “Yes.”

The door opened.

The man who walked in was tall, handsome,well-dressed—and painfully familiar.

They both froze.

For a second, the room seemed to shrink.

“Well,” he said with a crooked smile, “this is unexpected.”

“Samuel?” Lena said, her shock plain.

Nora looked between them. “You… know each other?”

“We do,” Lena said shortly.

Samuel took a seat, looking far too comfortable. “Fate, I’d say.”

“It’s mainly Coincidence,” she replied coolly, rolling her eyes but couldn't hide the hint of a smile playing on her lips.

Nora excused herself, leaving the two of them alone.

Samuel glanced around. “"Stellar Furnishings, huh? You've come a long way, Lena. You’ve done really  well for yourself.”

“Why are you here?” Lena asked as she leaned back on her chair.

“Business,” he said. Then, with a grin, “And maybe a little pleasure.”

She shut that down instantly. “Keep it professional, Samuel.”

He only smiled, clearly entertained.